THE  PEOPLES  STATE,  ROAD. 

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ADDRESS 


HON.  EDWIN  S.  STUART, 

Governor  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania, 


AT  THE  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 


Pennsylvania  Bar  Association, 

CAPE  MAY.  NEW  JERSEY. 

) 

JUNE  25th,  1908. 


HARRISBURG,  PA.: 

HARRISBURG  PUBLISHING  CO..  STATE  PRINTER. 
1908. 


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THE  PEOPLES  STATE  ROAD.  ' ’ ' ' ' 


Address  by  Honorable  Edwin  S.  Stuart,  Governor  of  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Pennsylvania,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Bar  Association,  Cape  May,  New  Jersey,  June 

25th,  1908. 


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One  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago  General  Forbes  was  encamped 
on  the  spot  where  Bedford  now  stands.  The  place  was  the  outpost 
of  colonial  civilization. 

Beyond,  an  unknown,  inhospitable  wilderness  of  mountain  and 
forest  lay  interposed,  where  settlement  could  not  spread  and  where 
even  explorers  became  disheartened.  And  farther  beyond  lay  the 
Ohio  valley. 

Explorers  had  long  since  sought  out  a Western  Empire,  and  with 
light  canoes  had  sped  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  across  the  Lakes  and 
down  the  Allegheny  and  Ohio  and  other  streams  and  the  Mississippi 
River  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Trading  points  were  established  on 
the  Lakes,  on  French  Creek  and  the  Allegheny. 

To  the  east  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains,  the  sturdy  pioneers  were 
felling  trees,  breaking  ground,  building  their  houses  and  churches 
and  developing  the  country  for  permanent  abode. 

There  were  advantages  of  trade  between  the  Indians  and  the 
coast  people  which  the  red  man  was  not  slow  to  perceive  nor  the 
white  man  prone  to  overlook.  So  over  the  mountains  came  the 
Indian  from  the  Alleghem^  valley  with  his  pack  horse  and  peltry, 
making  a main  thoroughfare  eastward  on  which  at  a later  date  the 
conquest  of  the  continent  was  to  be  witnessed.  Quite  soon  the 
wandering  trader  found  his  way  by  the  Indian  trail  to  the  back 
country  and  then  the  struggle  for  possession  began. 

How  the  Ohio  Trading  Company,  composed  of  Virginia  gentlemen 
keen  to  the  possibilities  and  advantages  of  possession  of  the  west- 
ern country,  obtained  a royal  charter  to  land  in  the  Ohio  valley, 
under  condition  that  in  seven  years  it  must  be  settled,  erected  a 
store  house  on  Wills  Creek  at  the  head  of  Potomac  River  naviga- 
tion, blazed  a trail  overland  through  the  forest  to  the  navigable 
waters  of  the  Monongahela  River  and  opened  up  trade. 

How  young  George  Washington,  as  special  envoy,  was  sent  across 
the  mountains  by  Governor  Dinwiddie  of  Virginia  to  invite  the 
French  to  retire,  and  in  the  year  following,  while  preparing  a road 

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through  the  same  wilderness  for  the  Virginia  army  expedition,  wa» 

given  battle  by  the  French  and  Indians,  was  routed,  and  finally 
forced  to  capitulate  at  Fort  Necessity; 

How  the  savages,  emboldened  by  this  victory,  made  incursions  to 
the  settlements  and  massacred  the  inhabitants  without  discrimina- 
tion, thus  compelling  the  fortification  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia 
frontiers; 

How^  the  next  year,  Braddock  just  from  England  established  a 
base  of  supplies  and  operation  on  Wills  Creek  at  Fort  Cumberland 
and  hewed  his  way  through  daily  ambuscades,  building  a road  as 
he  went  along  over  Washington’s  path,  and  by  infinite  toil,  patience 
and  perseverance,  mastered  the  precipitous  passes  and  mountain 
slopes,  the  gorges,  dangerous  fords  and  all  obstacles,  and  led  forth 
his  army  on  the  other  side  of  the  Allegheny  Range  to  utter  route 
and  defeat  on  the  banks  of  the  Monongahela  River  within  seven 
miles  of  Fort  Duquesne,  whereupon  hordes  of  savages  overran  the 
borders,  drove  back  the  settlers,  destroyed  the  outposts;  and  how 
it  required  Braddock’s  defeat  to  wake  up  the  colonies  to  the  duty 
of  the  hour;  all  of  these  things  come  forcibly  to  our  minds  when  we 
contemplate  Forbes’  Military  Road  across  Pennsylvania.  This  his- 
toric highway  began  at  Raystown,  now  Bedford. 

It  has  been  said  that  a road  stands  for  the  hopes,  activity,  in- 
fiuence  and  character  of  the  people  who  build  it  and  who  use  it, — - 
the  story  of  a need.  Never  was  this  more  thoroughly  exemplified 
than  in  the  instance  of  the  Pennsylvania  Road  now  beginning  at 
Bedford. 

After  three  years,  General  Forbes  was  conducting  a campaign 
against  Fort  Duquesne.  He  too  had  just  come  from  England,  land- 
ing in  Philadelphia.  Thence  he  proceeded  through  populous  Penn- 
sylvania— Lancaster  and  Carlisle — traversing  the  granary  of  the 
new  world  and  selecting  his  base  of  supplies  where  they  were  to 
be  obtained  on  the  ground.  Here  were  the  wagons,  horses  and 
provisions.  He  gathered  his  army  together  along  the  road  from 
Carlisle  to  Bedford,  a road  previously  made  over  the  Indian  trading 
path,  in  response  to  Braddock’s  appeal  for  a direct  route  to  sup- 
plies and  speedy  intelligence  of  events  in  Philadelphia  and  the 
northern  colonies.  The  construction  of  the  road  had  been  carried 
some  distance  beyond  Bedford  where  it  was  interrupted  because  of 
Braddock’s  defeat. 

Forbes  now  sought  to  continue  this  route.  His  pathfinders  were 
out  in  the  mountain  passes  and  from  them  came  daily  reports  of 
discouragement. 

A short  road  from  Pennsylvania  to  the  Ohio  valley  was  distaste- 
ful to  Virginia.  She  had  looked  upon  the  west  as  her  own.  She  had 


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been  foremost  in  the  field  and  given  of  her  money  and  sons.  Now 
should  Forbes  build  a road  from  the  rich  counties  of  Cumberland 
and  Lancaster  and  from  Philadelphia  directly  to  the  forks  of  the 
Ohio,  there  would  be  opened  up  for  all  future  time  an  advantage 
of  usefulness  to  Pennsylvania  detrimental  to  Virginia  interests. 
So  rivalry  and  controversy  as  to  the  routes  from  Raystown  grew 
intense. 

But  there  was  a law  of  necessity.  A line  of  least  resistance,  a 
ridge  road  avoiding  swamps  and  rivers  and  fords  and  floods,  pas- 
sable always  and  direct  to  the  western  country  was  demanded.  So 
such  a way  was  found  and  built  and  fortified,  and  at  the  close  of 
the  year  Forbes  occupied  Fort  Duquesne. 

It  need  not  be  told  how  to  the  end  of  the  military  era,  this  road 
proved  a barrier  to  the  foes  of  the  unborn  rep.;ublic;  how  in  1763 
Bedford  was  again  a place  of  rendezvous  for  Bouquet's  expedition 
of  relief  for  Pittsburg  against  Pontiac's  attack  and  seige;  how 
every  fortification  in  the  country  fell  except  Fort  Pitt  and  the 
strongholds  along  Forbes'  Military  Road;  and  how  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary period  it  was  the  main  artery  of  communication  from  the 
Atlantic  Coast  to  the  West  Country;  all  of  which  is  most  interest- 
ing; but  it  is  the  subsequent  part  which  the  great  Pennsylvania 
thoroughfare  to  the  Ohio  played  in  the  development  of  the  country 
that  we  wish  to  briefiy  contemplate. 

Tales  about  the  wonderful  land  beyond  the  Alleghenies,  conquered 
but  still  unclaimed,  came  over  the  mountains.  With  characteristic 
restlessness,  sturdy  pioneers  soon  appeared  upon  the  way  in  haste 
to  occupy  the  ^^promised  land."  The  fever  for  exploration,  dis- 
covery and  settlement  was  epidemic.  More  than  a footpath  was 
needed  through  the  mountains  by  the  surging  emigrant  trains.  Poor 
as  was  Forbes'  Road,  the  multitudes  travelled  over  it  by  tedious 
stages,  experiencing  great  hardships. 

The  Keystone  State,  ever  mindful  of  those  things  needful  to  pro- 
mote and  conserve  the  interests  of  the  Union,  arose  to  the  situa- 
tion and  began  in  1785  the  contruction  of  a State  Highway  from 
Chambersburg  to  Bedford,  and  from  Greensburg  to  Pittsburgh. 
When  completed,  the  Pennsylvania  Road  thereafter  held  supremacy 
from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburgh,  from  the  Coast  to  the  West  for 
fifty  years.  In  1795  the  only  macadamized  turnpike  in  America  was 
the  eastern  end  of  the  Pennsylvania  Way,  from  Philadelphia  to 
Lancaster.  And  those  days  of  stage  coach,  conestoga  wagon  and 
tavern  life  were  the  most  romantic  in  the  annals  of  American  his- 
tory. 

Over  all  this  stirring  scene  was  the  impelling  force,  the  immutable 
law  of  need.  The  infant  settlements  of  the  Ohio  called  for  better 


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access^  to  .tbe  World.  Enterprise  and  prosperity  waited  on  free 
and  easy  communication.  Commercial  control  of  the  Trans-Alle- 
gheny Empire  became  an  issue.  The  study  of  river  improvements 
then  absorbing  England’s  attention  found  echo  in  the  young  Ameri- 
can nation.  Congress  gave  consideration  to  the  navigation  of  the 
James,  Potomac  and  Mohawk  Rivers. 

The  sagacious  mind  of  Washington  encompassed  the  situation 
and  immediately  after  the  Revolutionary  War  he  counseled  the 
binding  of  the  east  and  west  by  ties  of  commercial  intercourse. 

The  rivalry  between  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  for  the  Ohio 
Basin  trade  became  keen.  Philadelphia,  eager  to  overcome  a dis- 
advantage of  one  hundred  miles,  early  took  up  the  matter  of  in- 
ternal improvements  of  an  advanced  pattern.  The  Cumberland  ^ 
Road  proposed  was  exerting  an  influence  to  be  feared.  Pittsburgh, 
the  point  of  entrance  to  the  immense  territory  of  the  Ohio,  Missis- 
sippi and  Great  Lake  region,  was  the  objective  terminal.  The 
exertions  of  Maryland  and  Virginia  to  promote  the  improvement  of 
roads  and  inland  navigation  for  the  expansion  of  commerce  by  river 
routes,  and  the  progress  of  the  Potomac  Company,  were  admired  and 
felt.  Pennsylvania  likewise,  desired  to  share  in  the  trade  of  the 
river  region  and  to  keep  the  trade  of  the  lake  territory,  since  the 
best  harbor  on  Lake  Erie  was  her  possession. 

As  Forbes’  Road  had  eclipsed  Braddock’s,  and  as  the  State  High- 
way superseded  Forbes’  road,  so  now  Pennsylvania  sought  a water- 
way, and  in  1834  opened  the  Pennsylvania  canal,  which  eclipsed 
ail  other  routes  to  the  Ohio  valle^^,  thus  maintaining  her  ‘‘Keystone 
position”  as  a seaboard  metropolis. 

The  canal  era,  while  it  lasted,  witnessed  the  partial  decline  of 
the  turnpike  and  through-wagon  road.  Upon  the  advent  of  the 
steam  road  in  answer  to  American  expansion  and  a need  for  rapid 
transit  between  long  distances,  the  practical  abandonment  of  both 
historic  canal  and  wagon-way  wms  acomplished.  Today  their  ruins 
only  remain.  One  has  been  utilized  in  places  for  railroad  occupa- 
tion. The  other  is  entirely  forgotten,  a road  now  of  local  utility 
only.  Little  is  left  to  tell  the  story  of  their  preponderating  in- 
fluence over  society  and  affairs  in  general,  and  of  the  consolidating 
and  strengthening  of  the  bonds  of  the  Union  to  the  aggrandizement 
of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania. 

Some  one  has  remarked  that  each  succeeding  Trans-Alleghenv 
line  of  transportation  has  followed  closely  the  old  line,  beginning 
with  the  buffalo  trace,  then  the  Indian  trail,  the  military  path, 
the  t.’ading  road,  the  turnpike  and  the  canal.  Each  in  turn  served 
its  purpose,  and  each  had  its  rise  and  decline. 

We  have  no  occasion  today  to  prophesy  the  passing  of  the  steam 
railroad,  but  we  do  know  that  never  before  has  progress  in  trans- 


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portation  facilities  made  such  rapid  strides  and  the  benefits  of 
internal  communication  been  so  widely  distributed  and  appreciated. 
The  good  roads  era  is  in  its  dawn. 

Pennsylvania  has  inaugurated  the  beginning  of  a system  of  good 
roads  for  all  counties  to  be  built  on  the  co-operative  plan  of  pay- 
ment. The  State  Highway  Department  has  completed  three  hun- 
y dred  and  forty  miles  of  good  roads  and  has  in  course  of  construc- 

tion three  hundred  and  fifty  additional  miles. 

And  now  we  may  approach  a subject  and  project  worthy  to  com- 
'i  mand  popular  support  in  proportion  to  its  immense  importance.  I 

speak  of  the  advisability  of  a rehabilitated  Pennsylvania  Highway 
across  the  State  between  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh.  Separate 
and  distinct  from  the  present  method  of  procedure,  the  project  I 
have  in  mind  is  to  survey  the  old  State  Road,  rebuild  and  improve 
it  and  complete  the  work  from  one  end  to  the  other  in  its  entirety, 
commencing  simultaneously  at  Pittsburgh  and  Philadelphia. 

Pennsylvania’s  geographical  position  affords  opportunity.  It  is 
both  an  Atlantic  and  Central  State.  It  possesses  at  the  Seaboard, 
a metropolis,  the  chief  manufacturing  city  of  the  Union,  and  at  its 
west  portal  the  wonderful  steel  and  iron  district  of  Pittsburgh  is 
located, — places  of  unusual  prosperity  and  wealth,  whose  influence 
in  trade,  manufactures  and  commerce  is  felt  all  over  the  world. 

Between  these  great  municipalities  is  another  one  of  importance, 
the  Capital  City  of  Harrisburg,  and  the  chief  place  on  the  Susque- 
hanna, a city  whose  location  makes  it  the  gateway  to  the  bitumin- 
ous coal  fields,  the  oil  and  gas  fields,  the  lake  regions  and  the  west. 

To  the  east  of  it  along  the  old  Pennsylvania  Road,  is  Lancaster, 
the  banner  agricultural  county  of  the  United  States  in  point  of 
value  of  crops  produced.  To  the  west  of  Harrisburg  are  the  agri- 
cultural counties  of  Cumberland  and  Franklin,  whose  seats  of  gov- 
ernment, Carlisle  and  Chambersburg,  are  becoming  prosperous 
^ manufacturing  towns.  And  farther  on  are  the  sparsely  populated, 

wooded,  mountainous  counties  of  Fulton,  Bedford  and  Somerset, 
beautiful  in  scenery,  possessed  of  a salubrious  atmosphere  and 
i noted  health  resorts,  abounding  in  game  preserves  and  streams,  and 

rich  in  fertility  of  soil,  capable  of  supporting  a large  population. 
And  finally,  are  the  extensive  coal  fields  of  Somerset  and  Westmore- 
land counties,  whose  mine  operations  and  coke  ovens  give  employ- 
ment to  increasing  numbers  of  men  and  foster  allied  industries. 

This  highway  should  be  an  avenue  of  common  communication  and 
transportation  adapted  to  the  period  and  the  future.  Its  facilities 
should  comprehend  the  pedestrian  and  equestrian,  and  vehicles  of 
all  kinds.  Since  it  is  to  be  a trunk  line  for  the  people,  laterals  will 
naturally  extend  from  it  north  and  south. 

Rural  mail  delivery  is  an  established  fact  and  the  farmer  would 


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not  be  deprived  of  tliis  service  now  that  he  knows  the  benefits. 
Rural  trolley  freight  will  likewise  soon  become  an  established  fact. 

Such  a modern  highway  from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburgh  would 
bring  a continuous  stream  of  tourists  from  the  far  east  and  west 
through  Pennsylvania  territory  and  would  tend  to  open  up  many 
new  avenues.  It  would  promote  activity  in  real  estate  and  would 
be  so  long  that  private  monopoly  would  be  out  of  the  question. 
Emigration  would  follow,  as  w’^ould  development  and  house  building 
and  improvement  and  use  of  idle  land.  Production  of  crops  and 
stock  raising  would  ensue.  The  usefulness  and  value  of  existing 
farms  would  be  enhanced. 

In  fact,  individual  county  and  state  wealth  would  be  augmented 
by  the  improvement.  The  markets  of  the  Pennsylvania  farmer  are 
local.  His  business  is  co-dependent  upon  the  general  prosperity  of 
the  nearby  town  or  city.  Whatever  makes  for  progress  there  is  a 
factor  to  the  farmer.  Many  industries  are  fitted  for  small  towns 
and  could  be  made  profitable  by  good  road  transportation.  These 
industries  would  be  more  generally  distributed  were  proper  induce- 
ments afforded. 

Furthermore,  those  more  lasting  things,  the  manifold  blessings 
of  intercourse,  the  domain  of  thought,  feeling  and  sympathy  which 
operate  in  so  subtle  a way  on  the  general  welfare  of  society,  are 
sure  to  be  fostered  and  promoted  by  such  a channel  of  internal 
communication  as  is  proposed. 

Considerations  and  benefits  so  obvious,  varied  and  weighty,  so 
comprehensive  in  usefulness,  so  impartial,  fraternal  and  universal 
in  disposition,  afford  an  opportunity  without  parallel  in  any  other 
State,  to  inaugurate  a public  improvement  for  the  common  good, 
extensive  enough  to  be  national  in  importance;  a legacy  which  our 
fathers  to  our  profit  faithfully  performed,  and  which  we  now  may 
choose  to  execute  as  a fitting  memorial  to  those  who  may  come 
hereafter  of  our  contribution  to  the  needs  of  posterity. 


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